Super Rugby 2015: Winners and Losers from Regular Season

The Hurricanes beat the Chiefs 21-13 on Saturday to round out a thrilling 2015 Super Rugby regular campaign and further cement their place as the most impressive team over the past 18 rounds.

They head into the postseason alongside the Waratahs, Stormers, Highlanders, Brumbies and Chiefs, but before the qualifiers get underway, it is a good time to pause and reflect on this year's drama.

The Wellington franchise is evidently one of the biggest winners of the year after topping the Super Rugby standings, but who else has cause to celebrate? Just as importantly, whose season has the most sour connotations?

Read on for a breakdown of the biggest winners and losers of the 2015 Super Rugby regular season.

Four Super Rugby teams have succeeded in claiming back-to-back championships to date: the Blues, Bulls Chiefs and Crusaders. The Waratahs have their chance to join that exclusive list in 2015.

Not everyone would have thought it possible for helmsman Michael Cheika, especially after taking on the responsibility of coaching the Wallabies too, but the Sydney giants have proved their mettle once again.

Admittedly, the Tahs still haven't quite been able to match the Hurricanes' standards and finished 14 points below the New Zealanders in second, claiming only 11 wins compared to the Canes' 14.

Nonetheless, a home semi-final lies ahead for the reigning champions—and with it the opportunity to make what would be just their third Super Rugby final in history.

After winning just five games in 2014, many at Suncorp Stadium might have proposed the Reds' anguish couldn't possibly carry over or get any worse in 2015. Things got worse.

During a campaign in which Quade Cooper's injury woes gave coach Richard Graham some selection headaches, the Queensland Reds finished with only four wins this time around—their worst return since 2009.

The Super Rugby championship season of 2011 was only four years ago, yet it seems like it occurred in another dimension, and James Horwill, Cooper and Will Genia all look poised to leave this summer, reported by the Sydney Morning Herald.

It's further evidence that a new leaf must be turned at Ballymore, with the likes of Liam Gill, James Slipper and Samu Kerevi forming the franchise's new-look foundation.

The 2015 campaign was another one to forget for the Reds, and it may be some time before the pendulum of success swings back in their favour.

As if New Zealand coach Steve Hansen didn't have enough world-class wing merchants at his disposal already, the emergence of Nehe Milner-Skudder and Waisake Naholo in 2015 has given him a couple of new options to consider.

Highlanders star Naholo was born in Fiji, but he has already represented New Zealand at under-20 level and played for their Sevens team, showing where his heart lies in terms of international allegiance.

Both he and his fellow wing have seen their names mentioned among some of the most impressive players in 2015, with Naholo bringing the power while Hurricanes trickster Milner-Skudder possesses some ferociously quick feet.

Depending on what Hansen's looking to add to his ranks in time for the World Cup later this year, we might see Julian Savea, Cory Jane and Ben Smith joined by another elite asset out wide.

A 37-24 win over the Brumbies on Saturday saw the Crusaders cap off their 2015 campaign with victory, finishing in seventh place and just one point off the top six.

It's the first time since 2001 the seven-time champions have failed to make the play-offs, and Todd Blackadder's side may just be the best team to miss out on the post-season entertainment.

It's also especially disappointing that Richie McCaw and Dan Carter should finish their careers with that streak coming to an end, but it's largely thanks to their input that such a streak even existed this past decade.

A move to France's Racing 92 awaits Carter, while retirement looms for McCaw after the 2015 Rugby World Cup. They end their Christchurch careers as the two greatest servants ever to represent the Crusaders.

Of course, a roundup of the regular season wouldn't be complete without heaping praise on the team who stood out as its finest by some distance: the Hurricanes.

Milner-Skudder's rising to the fore has already been discussed, but the base built last season, when the Canes finished an agonising one point off the play-offs, has amassed riches in 2015.

Beauden Barrett has once again shone as arguably the best fly-half in the southern hemisphere. Ardie Savea is swiftly joining brother Julian as an elite-level player. TJ Perenara has had his best season to date.

There's no better time for the Canes to capitalise on their success, either, as veteran centres Ma'a Nonu and Conrad Smith are both bound for the Top 14 with Toulon and Pau respectively.

Finishing 14 points clear at the Super Rugby summit also represents the biggest points margin ever accumulated between first and second, another indicator of just how dominant Chris Boyd's men were.

Like just about any sport, rugby is cyclical and sees certain teams and nations go through their patches of success just as others will experience dread and defeat when it calls for them.

The nature of Super Rugby's laws mean South African conference winners the Stormers are heading for a home qualifier, but they were actually one point worse off than the tally recorded by the Crusaders in seventh.

By law, they can claim a third-place finish, but the most impressive team in South Africa has pointed to one of Super Rugby greatest flaws: being anything but the best can still lead to a title.

As for the other South African teams, the Lions in eighth, Bulls in ninth, Sharks in 11th and Cheetahs in 12th may not sit among the very bottom sides, but it's another season of good-but-not-great form in almost all cases.

Granted, the Lions showed marked improvement this term and were enjoyable to watch at times, as were the Stormers, but it was hardly a renaissance of South African stardom in 2015.